Ukraine keeps getting hit with missiles: Large parts of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv were without water and electricity on Monday after a barrage of Russian missile strikes hit the city. The Kremlin ramped up its attacks on civilian targets, including on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure facilities across the country. Especially hard hit was the infrastructure in the central regions of Cherkasy and Kirovohrad, the eastern province of Kharkiv, and the southern region of Zaporizhzhia.
Upwards of 80% of Kyiv residents were left without water, and many lost electricity after Russian missiles hit an energy facility that powered 350,000 apartments. Emergency services attempted to restore power and “stabilize the situation as soon as possible.”
Ukraine’s military released footage online that showed its air defenses intercepting a large number of Russian missiles, and the country’s air command reported that it had shot down some 44 out of 50 projectiles. The missiles were reportedly launched from Russia’s Rostov region and from the Caspian Sea.
A total of 18 critical facilities – most energy-generating – were hit in 10 regions across Ukraine.
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink tweeted on Monday morning, “Like millions of Ukrainians, our @USEmbassyKyiv team is once again taking shelter as Russia continues its callous and barbaric missile strikes on the people of Ukraine in an effort to leave the country cold and dark as we approach winter.”
Payback for Saturday’s Drone Strike on Crimea
Russia’s latest attacks came after Moscow accused Ukraine of attacking the city of Sevastopol in Crimea over the weekend. Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014, and has maintained control since. The Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet is homeported in the city.
In the early hours of Saturday, Ukraine launched a massive raid involving a drone swarm of sea-skimming and flying unmanned vehicles that struck several Russian warships. It has been reported that the Black Sea Fleet flagship Admiral Makarov was damaged, and possibly disabled, in the recent raid. The warship had was already targeted by anti-ship missiles earlier this year.
The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of conducting a “terror attack” and said the ships from the Black Sea Fleet were used to ensure the security of the grain corridor from Ukrainian ports. Moscow also claimed that the attack was carried out under the supervision of representatives from the United Kingdom.
“It has been established that the marine unmanned aerial vehicles were launched from the coast near Odessa. The marine drone flew in the security zone of the grain corridor and later changed the route toward a Russian naval base in Sevastopol,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement to Tass.
Strike Near Moldovan Village
Russian missile debris also landed in the northern Moldovan village of Naslavcea, near the border with Ukraine. No one was hurt, but the windows of several residential homes were shattered during Monday’s early morning strike.
Image Credit: Creative Commons.
In addition, Russia targeted a dam on the Nistru River, which runs through Ukraine and into Moldova. Via social media, Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu condemned the recent missile strikes against Ukraine and warned that attacks on water infrastructure, and ensuing stress on the river, could put the entire region in danger of floods.
A Senior Editor for 1945, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,000 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
